1969 Sun Bowl
| MVP | K Paul Rogers (Nebraska) |
|---|---|
The 1969 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Georgia Bulldogs and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Background
The Cornhuskers finished as co-champions of the Big Eight Conference with Missouri after losing to them on October 11. While Missouri went to the Orange Bowl, Nebraska was invited to their first ever Sun Bowl. As for Georgia, they had finished 6th in the Southeastern Conference after a 4-1 start spiraled into a 1-3-1 finish.
Game summary
Ultimately, a favorable wind for one team and a long running quarter proved to be the outlines for victory. Nebraska's Paul Rogers kicked four field goals in the first quarter (50, 32, 42, 37) while also scoring a touchdown run by Jeff Kinney to make it 18-0 by the end of the first quarter. It was later determined by Sun Bowl officials that the first quarter had possibly run too long, in part due to a scoreclock malfunction. While Georgia held the Huskers in the second quarter, Nebraska took back control in the third on two touchdowns, one from a Mike Green touchdown reception from Van Brownson, and the other on a Brownson touchdown run. Dan Schneiss made it 32-0 in the fourth on a touchdown plunge of his own. Paul Gilbert scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to make it 38-6. Jerry Tagge made the final score 45-6 on his 2-yard touchdown run. For his kicking efforts, Rogers was named MVP.[1][2][3]
Aftermath
Nebraska would win national championships in the next two seasons. They returned to the Sun Bowl in 1980. As for Georgia, they returned in 1985.
Statistics
| Statistics | Nebraska | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 17 | 11 |
| Rushing Yards | 190 | 55 |
| Passing Yards | 165 | 130 |
| Total Yards | 355 | 185 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 2 | 6 |
| Return Yardage | 34 | 86 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 2-2 |
| Punts-Average | 7-35.6 | 10-42.2 |
| Penalties-Penalty Yards | 6-50 | 3-31 |